By Cate Lecuyer
BEVERLY — At a sobriety checkpoint Saturday night, Beverly and state police pulled over 27 cars and arrested 12 people.
"That's reasonable," said Massachusetts State Police Lt. Robert Krom. "We've had higher amounts, depending on the night."
The roadblock was on the inbound lane of the Veterans Memorial Bridge at Cabot and Water streets, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. During that time, about 200 cars passed through. Krom said Memorial Day weekend is one of the busier times to find people driving under the influence of alcohol.
The police schedule various checkpoints on a regular basis throughout the state. Krom said they try to target busy roads, and especially roads that have a history of car crashes, particularly related to incidents of people driving under the influence of alcohol.
He said he doesn't know when the last checkpoint was in Beverly but believes this is the first time it was performed at the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
The state police have been conducting sobriety checkpoints for the last 20 years, Krom said. It's one of the many safety programs the Beverly Police Department participates in throughout the year. Others include "Click It or Ticket," "Drunk Driving: Over the Limit Under Arrest" and "Road Respect."
